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BELIZE POLICE DEPARTMENT
POLICE TRAINING ACADEMY
POLICE RECRUIT ENTRANCE EXAM
STUDY GUIDE
In order to assist applicants in preparing for the Polices’ Recruit Entrance Exam the National Police Training Academy has
prepared this study guide. The new recruits’ Entrance Exam is designed to measure applicant’s knowledge, skills and
abilities necessary to be a successful Police Officer capable of policing a Modern Society.
The areas that will be tested for the entrance exam are: (1) Decision Making Skills (2) Reading Comprehension Skills (3)
Math skills (4) Language Skills and (5) General Knowledge.
Each exam section is timed between 30 and 55 minutes and applicants will not be able to use calculators, dictionaries or
any other form of aid during the exam. The minimum passing marking is an average of 60%.
No Law Enforcement experience is necessary to pass the entrance exam.
SECTION A
READING COMPREHENSION SKILLS
This section will measure applicant’s ability to read, comprehend and interpret a passages relating to policing.
Read the following 2 passages carefully and CIRCLE the CORRECT answer for each of the question which follows the
individual paragraphs.
Passage 1
Investigators at Dangriga Police Station are baffled as to the facts surrounding the death of two females whose corpses
were found in separate locations along a stretch of road in a rural community outside Dangriga Town. Both bodies bore
marks of violence and death seemed to have occurred within minutes of each other. The shoe prints near the bodies
matched each other in size and design. The imprint of a ring on the left side of each victim breast bore the mark of a
heart.
The cause of deaths, recorded by Dr. Estradaban was by asphyxia through strangulation. Both crimes appeared to have
been perpetrated by the same person, who, based on a composite profile prepared by investigators, appeared to be tall
and heavily built. The time of death for each was recorded as 6:17pm and 6:20pm respectively.
Despite the evidence, there seems to be no way for the same person to have committed the two homicides, based on
the distance between the two locations where the bodies were found and their recorded times.
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1. What type of crime is being investigated?
a) strangulation
b) serial killing
c) choking
d) homicide
2. In what type of area did the crime occur?
a) to the south of the beach
b) rural
c) urban development
d) a secluded area
3. All of the following are characteristics of both crime scenes EXCEPT:
a) Shoe prints
b) Manner of death
c) Similar time frames
d) Physical descriptions
Passage 2
To be labeled a serial killer, perpetrators must commit three or more murders in a relatively short time, with periods of
rest, or "cool downs," in between. They prefer strangers for victims, and their motive is always psychological, not
material. This begs the question, "What kind of person feels gratified from murder?" On the surface, serial killers are
most often males in their 20s or 30s. They tend to share dysfunctional childhoods, stories of physical or sexual abuse,
and a history of detentions or arrests. As young adults, many serial killers are obsessed over pyromania or animal
cruelty. But what can we tell about the MINDS of these killers? Many serial killers have antisocial personality disorder,
and show little regard for society's expectations of "right" and "wrong." They also have a genuine disregard for the rights
and feelings of other people.
Take Ted Bundy, for instance. After his arrest for murdering more than 30 people, he said, "I'm the most cold-blooded
[killer] you'll ever meet. I just like to kill." Despite this, people with antisocial personality disorder are charming and
adept at manipulation. So are serial killers actually insane? Not usually. Many have families, jobs, and even hold
leadership positions in their communities. The FBI reports most serial killer actually have IQs in the "above normal"
range. Some are intelligent enough to attempt to convince authorities of their insanity, while others create fantastical
alter egos, pinning their crimes on inner devils. Very few criminals actually have dissociative identity, or multiple
personality, disorder. Regardless of what's inherently "wrong" with them, it's rare that serial killers express regret or the
desire to reform. For this reason, and for the safety of all of us, serial killers are almost never offered rehabilitation, but
instead are sentenced to life in prison or death. (http://mental.healthguru.com/)
1. A serial killer attacks
a) friends
b) foreigners
c) relatives
d) animals
2. To be called a serial killer, one has to fit attributes of the following profile EXCEPT
a) engage in larceny
b) be involved in a stable family reunion
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c) be uninterested in ethical behavior
d) show disrespect for the feelings of others
3. Which of the following are NOT factors which contribute to the development of a serial
killer?
i. The holding of leadership positions
ii. Abusive relatives
iii. IQs above the normal range
iv. Dysfunctional families
a) i only
b) ii and iv only
c) i and iii only
d) ii and iv only
4. People with anti-social behaviour are
a) manipulative
b) insane
c) aggressive
d) caring
5. Why do serial killers normally end up on death row?
a) They do not wish to change and are a menace to society
b) Lawyers do not want to defend them
c) They have multiple personality disorder which cannot be treated
d) They are deemed to be insane
SECTION B
DECISION MAKING
This section will measure applicants’ ability to identify and comprehend problematic elements on a situation and choose
the appropriate course of action based on guidelines and policies.
Belize Driver License Chapt. 230
29.-(1) Except as provided in this section, no person shall drive a motor vehicle on a road unless he is the holder
of a Belize Driving License, and no person shall employ any person to drive a motor vehicle on a road unless
the person so employed is the holder of a Belize Driving License, and if any person acts in contravention of this
provision, he commits an offence and is liable to a
fine not exceeding two hundred and fifty dollars.
(2) If the offender has been previously refused and has not been granted a Belize Driving License or is
disqualified from holding or obtaining a Belize Driving License, he may be arrested forthwith without a warrant
and he shall on summary conviction be liable to imprisonment for six months or to a fine of five hundred
dollars.
1. Frank drives his car to work but completely forgets his Drivers license at home but which is still valid.
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A. The action CORRECTLY FOLLOWS the regulations.
B. MORE INFORMATION IS REQUIRED to determine if the action correctly
follows or violates the regulations.
C. The action VIOLATES the regulations.
2. Martha needs to deliver some merchandize to another town. Her usual driver reported sick. She asks
Miguel to drive the truck. She knows Miguel does not have a Drivers license. She insists and he
complies.
A. The action CORRECTLY FOLLOWS the regulations.
B. MORE INFORMATION IS REQUIRED to determine if the action correctly
follows or violates the regulations.
C. The action VIOLATES the regulations.
3. Mike is asked by Mr. Oscar his boss, to take him to the hospital since he is injured and cannot drive. He
is unaware of Mike being disqualified from having a drivers license.
A. The action CORRECTLY FOLLOWS the regulations.
B. MORE INFORMATION IS REQUIRED to determine if the action correctly
follows or violates the regulations.
C. The action VIOLATES the regulations.
SECTION C
LANGUAGE SKILLS
In the language skills section of the exam, given incomplete sentences or sentences with spelling error, applicants are
required to identify errors in grammar, punctuation or spelling.
Applicants will also be tested in Grammar Usage, Mechanics and Vocabulary (Synonyms and Antonyms)
Read the following carefully and CIRCLE the correct answer for each.
1. In 2012 the Belize Police Department handled approximately two thousands 911 calls requesting police assistance.
During this period, PC #311 J. Smith ___________two hundred.
a)
b)
c)
d)
receive
received
receives
receiving
2. Sgt. # 211 J. Thomas ____working overtime last weekend.
a)
b)
c)
d)
was
were
is
are
3. The judge had to ask the ______________ to conduct themselves in an orderly manner
during the trial.
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a) weaknesses
b) witnesses
c) witnesses’
d) weakness
4. The Cpl. #345 M. Tun handed over the equipment which _____________ purchased, to the commanding officer of
Belmopan Police Station.
a) was
b) were
c) is
d) had
5. Between you and _____________, this is an issue for the Commissioner to resolve.
a) me
b) they
c) I
d) he
6. The vehicles drove ____________ through the streets as they escorted the prisoners.
a) quick
b) swift
c) rapidly
d) strongly
7. As a police officer in the Belize Police Department you must have high regard for your personal appearence in public.
Which word in the sentence above is misspelled?
a)
b)
c)
d)
officer
regard
appearence
figures
GRAMMER USAGE (SUBJECT –VERB AGREEMENT)
Carefully read each sentence and chooses the verb that agrees with the subject.
8. No one (expects, expect) the legislation to pass.
9. Some of the police recruits (earns, earn) extra money doing extraneous duties.
10. Vanessa had already (went, gone) to the library.
VOCABULARY
SYNONYMS
Choose the word or group of words that is nearest in meaning to the expression to the underlined expression.
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11. Drug-taking should be banned.
a.
punished
b. prohibited
c. allowed
d. controlled
12. All his attempts to revive the man were futile.
a. persistent
b. successful
c. clumsy
d. fruitless
13. The only effective deterrent which will put a stop to armed robbery is public flogging.
a. solution
b. decision
c. discouragement
d. critical
ANTONYMS
Choose the word that is most nearly opposite in meaning to the underlined word.
14. He was discharged with a warning after a former offence, but on a ___________occasion he was fined heavily.
a.
previous
b. similar
c. further
d. second
15. Parking on this side of the street is permitted but it is ____________on the other side.
a. stopped
b. suspended
c. denied
d. prohibited
16. The Judge was very lenient with the prisoner although the man deserved a ______sentence.
a. brutal
b. long
c. severe
d. heavy
Select the word which best fits the meaning of the sentence.
17. Though they provide valid evidence they did not _______the jury
a. fool
b. convince
c. satisfy
d. please
18. The officer in charge feels like you have been ________your work.
a. neglecting
b. eliminating
c. omitting
d. obscuring
19. The law ______people to enter this private area, but they still continue to break the law.
a.
request
b. require
c. forbids
d. warns
20. If we had _______ this problem, we would not have come here to perish.
a. anticipated
b. discussed
c. caused
d. found
WRITING SKILLS
Respond to the following question in PARAGRAPH form in the space provided below, identifying and explaining no more
than three factors.
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What major factors contribute to an effective working relationship between the Belize Police Department and the
customers it serves?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
SECTION D
MATHEMATICS
TOPICS FOR MATH RECRUITMENT EXAM: PAPER 1-MULTIPLE CHOICE, PAPER 2 –PROBLEM SOLVING
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
FOUR BASIC ARITHMETIC OPERATION
RATIO AND PROPORTION
CONVERSION-MEASUREMENT, CURRENCY AND WEIGHT
TIME INTERVALS PERCENTAGE
BAR CHART, PIE CHART AND LINE GRAPH
LCM, HCF
AREAS AND PERIMETER
WRTING NUMBERS IN WORDS
ORDER OF OPERATION
VOLUME
AVERAGE SPPED, TIME AND DISTANCE
MEAN, MEDIAN AND MODE
Percent Increase/Decrease
1. Mrs. Donna Joachim reported the following items missing at San Ignacio Police Station following a burglary at her
home on the night of June 11, 2010. Sgt. Francois filed the report. (Exchange rate is US$1 to $2 BCY)
Name of item
Cost of item
1 microwave
$950.00 Bcy
1 standing fan
$75.00 Bcy
1 Dell laptop
US $500.00
1 gold bracelet
US$350.00
1 pair gold earrings
$500.00 Bcy
The following questions are based on the information presented above.
a. What is the total cost of the stolen items?
Ans. _________________________________
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b. Mrs. Joachim also files a report with her insurance company and is told that she can receive a 75% refund on the value
of the last three items excluding the first two, as these were not insured. How much money does Ms Joachim receive
from the insurance company?
Ans. _________________________________
2. The table below gives some information on the number of miles travelled by 4 Police Recruits over a 5 day period.
Officer A
Officer B
Officer C
Officer D
225
150
_________
125
a. If the average number of miles travelled for the five day period is given as 150 miles, how many miles did Officer C
travel over the stated period?
Ans. ______________________________
b. What is the total number of miles travelled by the four recruits over the five days?
Ans. ______________________________
3. The speed limit within Belmopan City A is 25 mph. A fine of $50 is charged for every 10mph over the
speed limit up to 60mph, and $100 for every 5mph over 60mph up to 85mph. A driver is fined by the traffic warden for
doing 40 mph over the stipulated speed limit in City A.
a. What the driver’s speed when he was stopped by the traffic warden?
Ans. _____________________________
b. What is the driver’s total fine?
Ans. _____________________________
4. The Benque Viejo Quick Response Team receives information on a stolen vehicle. The witness estimates that the car is
travelling at 70mph, along a straight road. The police estimate that at that speed, the driver would arrive at the next
intersection in 30 minutes, and decide to set up
a road block.
a. What distance does the driver travel before he arrives at the road block?
Ans. ____________________________
b. If the driver gets there in fifteen minutes, what is his actual speed over the
distance obtained in 4(a)?
Ans. ______________________________
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5. Five (5) robberies are recorded in Belmopan City on a weekend (Saturday to Sunday). The table below gives a
summary of the information gathered, in the order in which the robberies were committed.
Robbery
No.
Time
No. of items stolen
Value of items stolen
1
10:00am
5
$1000 in total*
2
1:00pm
2
$9000 in total
3
9:00pm
10
$173 each
4
14:00hrs
1
$60
5
23:00hrs
3
US$75 each*
*Exchange-US$1 to $1 Bcy
The questions below which follow relate to the scenario and table presented above.
a. If the police were able to recover all the goods stolen, what would be the total
value of all the items?
Ans. ________________________________________
b. What is the value of all goods stolen on Sunday in Bcy?
Ans. _______________________________________
c. What was the highest number of hours which elapsed between robberies?
Ans. _______________________________________
Answer questions 6 and 7 based on the following information.
Ms. Tanisha Hyde called the Crimes Investigation Branch office in San Ignacio to report that her bag was stolen
when she dozed off at the Welcome Centre while waiting for the bus departing San Ignacio en route to
Belmopan. The bag was worth approximately $50. The bag contained the following items:






1 change of clothing, shoes, and underclothing valued at $175
1 makeup case valued at $20
2 bottles of perfume valued at $70 each
1 pair of gold earrings valued at $400
2 silver rings valued at $250 each
$100 in cash
6. You are the detective who received this report. Based on the items listed, what should you write on your
report as the value of the stolen money and property?
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a.
b.
c.
d.
$1,135.00
$1,065.00
$1,785.00
$1,385.00
7. Two days later, after returning home, Ms. Hyde called to say that she had made some errors in her initial
report. She discovered she had not taken the gold earrings on the trip nor had she taken one of the two silver
rings. Your amended report should now indicate which figure as the value of the stolen money and property?
a.
b.
c.
d.
$735.00
$1,135.00
$485.00
$1,065.00
8. Alva is preparing for the police applicant physical by getting into better shape. Last weekend she walked 30
miles in 6 hours. What was her average speed?
a.
b.
c.
d.
6.5 miles per hour
5 miles per hour
5.5 miles per hour
6 miles per hour
9. If a Police Mobile is driven at the speed of 60 miles per hour for 45 minutes, how far will it have traveled?
a.
b.
c.
d.
40 miles
45 miles
50 miles
none of the above
10. Cpl. Lewis made an arrest for possession of 28 ounces of marijuana, which was separated into 3 ½ ounce
bags. How many packages of marijuana did he find in the suspect’s possession?
a. 4
b. 6
c. 8
d. 10
11. Of the 760 crimes committed in Belize last year, 76 were murders. What percentage of crimes were
murders?
a. .01%
b. .76%
c. 1 %
d. 10%
SECTION E
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE
1. Write out the following national and regional acronyms in full:
(a) CARICOM
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_____________________________________________________________________
(b) UNESCO
_____________________________________________________________________
(c) UNICEF
_____________________________________________________________________
(d) PAHO
_____________________________________________________________________
2. What is the speed limit of the following specific areas in Belize?
(a)The highways ______________________________________
(b)The town and village areas ___________________________________
3. (a) In what month is Common Wealth day celebrated?
________________________________________________________________________
(b) Why is March 9th a holiday in Belize?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
4. (a)What is the motto of the Belize Police Department?
________________________________________________________________________
(b) What is the motto of Belize?
________________________________________________________________________
5. Give the dates of the following holidays in Belize:
(a) Columbus Day _______________________________________
(b) Independence Day ___________________________________
(a) Garifuna Settlement Day ___________________________________
(a) St. Georges Caye ___________________________________
8. Indicate whether the following statements on Belize are true or
false, by ticking the appropriate box.
Statement
True
False
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The mayor of Belmopan
Is His Worship John August.
The speaker of the house
Is Hon Michael Perrifytte.
The Minister of National Security
is Hon. John Saldivar
The Minister of Immigration is
Hon Elvin Penner
The Minister of Education is
Mr. Saide Elrington.
The Mayor of Belize City is
His Worship Darrel Bradley.
The Commissioner of
Police is Mr. Allen Whylie.
9. In the space provided below, write in full, the words of the National Anthem Of Belize:
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
END OF EXAMINATION
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STUDY GUIDE ANSWER SHEET
Section A
Passage 1
1. D
2. B
3. D
PASSAGE 2
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
B
A
C
A
A
Section B
1. B
2. C
3. B
Section C: Language Skills
1. b
2. a
3. b
4. a
5. c
6. c
7. c
8. expects
9. earn
10. gone
11. b
12. d
13. c
14. d
15. d
16. c
17. b
18. a
19. c
20. a
Section D: Mathematics
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1a. $3,225
1b. $1,650
2a. 100
2b. 600
3a. 65mph
3b. $250
4a. 35 miles
4b. 140 mph
5a. $12,015
5b. $285
5c. 17 hrs
6. d
7. a
8. b
9. b
10. c
11. d
SECTION E
1. a. Caribbean Community
b. United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization
c. United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund
d. Pan American Health Organization
2. A. 25 mph
b. 15 mph
3. A. May
b. Baron Bliss
4. A. Working in partnership with the community for a safer Belize.
b. SUB UMBRA FLOREO (Under The Shade I Flourish).
5. A. 12th October
b. 21st September
c. 19th November
d. 10th September
8.
a. false
b. true
c. true
d. false
e. false
f. true
g. true